Not many know that there is no manual or rule book for the revenue machinery at the district level to deal with land-related issues, law and order, quasi-judicial matters, people’s complaints, etc.
The government feels that the subjects dealt with by the revenue machinery are public services and to facilitate the decision-making process and disposal of the services smoothly and efficiently, there needs to be a manual based on the one in Gujarat. This is also a part of the standardization of public services.
The state government has now appointed two committees to develop manuals for district collectors, and SDOs and the tahsildars. The committees will recommend a draft of the manual to the government. The committee for district collectors is headed by the divisional commissioner for the Konkan region with members including the collectors of Yavatmal, Jalna and Jalgaon. The deputy commissioner (revenue) of Konkan will be its member secretary.
The committee for the manual for SDOs and tahsildars will be headed by the divisional commissioner for the Konkan region. Its members will be deputy commissioners (revenue) for Nashik, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Amravati. Ajay Lahane, director of Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Administration Development Academy, Amravati, will be the member invitee and deputy commissioner (revenue) will be its member secretary.
Both committees have been asked to study the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, and policies and plans issued by the state government, and submit their reports.
Collectors, SDOs and tahsildars have an important role to perform in land matters and law and order issues. Their duties as custodians of government lands and the authority to decide on public grievances and appeals are the backbone of the democratic setup.
A manual defines the scope of work, rules and regulations while dealing with public issues. Though such a manual was very much needed, no efforts were made to draft it. The government has taken a cue from the Gujarat administration,which drafted a manual for revenue authorities in 2008.
According to a retired officer, who spent his career with the revenue department, in 1950 a manual for the district machinery was drafted by an officer named Deshpande. After almost 70 years nobody knows about it, nor does anybody have a copy of it.
